Lonely Harp
by Raya Light
Summary: A PGSM story Complete Rating [PG13] a little high to be safe. Primary focus of the story is the 4 Inners. After the world is restored, only Usagi remembers what happened. Slowly, the other girls fight to regain their memories once more.
1. Chapter 1 Forgetfulness

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_The following story is based on the Live Action version of SailorMoon (PGSM), and picks up at the very end of the final episode when Usagi returns home. Although I am not a big fan of memory stealing/blocking storylines (thanks to my sister L), this story was somehow born. Ami's dream (next chapter) just came to me, and that set the stage for all of the rest. I hope you enjoy it! - Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Forgetfulness_

"Usagi!" Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako raced towards their friend. Relief filled their hearts when they finally saw her running towards them, waving wildly. For the moment, nothing mattered except that she was there.

"Guys!" Usagi cried. "Guys!" she said again as they came together. Confusion reigned for a few moments as the five friends laughed and cried, full of excitement at seeing each other and the strange relief that the important thing was there once more.

Finally, however, they began to settle down. Turning, they walked over to a nearby park where Minako teasingly bought them all sodas from a nearby machine. Still laughing, they walked over to a nearby fountain and sat along its rim.

Rei was the first to look puzzled and confused. Makoto caught sight of her expression, then blinked, and looked uncertainly at her friends. Minako and Ami slowly followed suit, until Usagi was left looking at them questioningly.

"Um, Usagi..." Makoto said sounding as uncertain as she looked. "What's going on? Why did you ask us to meet you here?"

"Eh?" Usagi asked as she gave Makoto a puzzled look.

"Yeah, Usagi, what's up? You made it sound so important," Rei said giving her friend a semi-stern look.

"What... What do you mean, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked sounding confused. "You guys called to me... So I came back..."

Ami's face lit up. "You're moving back? Really? What happened? I thought you were planning to stay in Kyoto." Usagi looked at her friends in confusion as they all suddenly seized on this explanation.

"No way!" Makoto said looking excited. "Hey, are you going to go to Azuban High School after all? I'll have to transfer!"

"Osaka-san will be so excited," Ami said with a bright smile. Suddenly, she giggled. "You should have seen her this morning, Usagi-chan. She came running in late like you used to do all of the time."

"Eh? Naru-chan did?" Usagi asked, still plainly confused.

"So what happened?" Rei asked curiously. "Weren't you looking forward to staying with your relatives out there?"

"Did your parents change their minds? Or did something happen to your..." Makoto asked, trailing off uncertainly.

"Aunt, wasn't it?" Minako said suddenly as if she had just remembered. "Wait, she didn't get that job in Hollywood, did she? The one for the new Edo movie?"

"Really? Wow! That must've been exciting," Makoto said looking a little envious.

Ami studied Usagi's confused expression curiously. Deep inside, she felt a flicker of guilt and sadness at the lost, sad look in Usagi's brown eyes. Her instincts told her that whatever had made Usagi decide to come back, it wasn't something as nice and simple as parents who missed her or an aunt with an unexpected out of town job. With a gentle look, she reached out and laid her hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're back," she said as sincerely as she could. When Usagi smiled happily at her, she smiled back.

"You must be so tired," Minako said suddenly. "I know how that train ride from Kyoto can be, especially if you're moving. Why don't you go home and rest? I really should get back to the studio anyway."

Usagi blinked as Rei and Makoto nodded suddenly in agreement.

"Yeah, why don't you give us a call after you get settled back in?" Makoto asked with a reassuring smile. "Maybe we can get together at Crown later this week after school."

Rei grimaced at this thought. "Karaoke..." she moaned with mock disgust.

"Come on, Rei," Makoto laughed as they stood to leave. "You know you like listening to us sing..."

"Welcome back! See ya," Minako said with a smile as she rose and began to walk back to the recording studio.

Ami paused uncertainly a moment, and then spoke. "I have to go to cram school now, too... See you tomorrow?" she said reluctantly as she slowly rose.

Usagi suddenly shook her head, smiled, and stood up. "Sure. Tomorrow. Don't study too hard!" She waved and continued to smile as Ami slowly turned and walked away. Ami noticed, however, that the smile never reached her eyes.

As she reached the end of the park, Ami turned to look back at her friend. Usagi stood where she had been left. She looked into the fountain with a sad expression, as if she did not know what to do now. Just as Ami was about to turn back, she saw a tall young man walk up to her friend. With a confusing feeling of relief, Ami began to head to her school once again.

"Usagi?" Mamoru called quietly.

"They... What's happened to them?" she asked uncertainly as she turned her gaze towards him. "It's as if... As if..."

"As if nothing happened?" Luna asked as she and Artemis walked over towards the couple in their plushy cat forms. With a flash of light, she transformed to her human form. "It is. For them at least." Artemis leapt up to the edge of the fountain.

"Eh?" Usagi asked looking at her. Slowly, her face filled with comprehension. "They've forgotten..."

Luna nodded, her dark purplish-blue hair bouncing at the strong movement. "To them, the whole fight with Beryl never happened. They remember being friends with you, apparently, but nothing else. Somehow, they've decided the reason you haven't been around lately is that you moved away to stay with a relative. Do you know what day it is?" Usagi and Mamoru slowly shook their heads. "It's the day I met Usagi-chan," she said watching closely for their reaction.

Mamoru looked puzzled, but Usagi looked shocked. "No way... All the way back then?"

Luna nodded. "I don't know how, but..."

Usagi blinked as an image of a sad woman with dark green hair and garnet eyes flashed across her mind, and then vanished. "Strange..." she murmured. "I wanted them to forget... So they wouldn't be hurt by all the painful memories, but to change time...?"

Gently, Mamoru put an arm around her shoulders. "We'll just have to go with it," he said encouragingly. "At least they've remembered you. And we remember," he added looking down at Luna and Artemis who nodded back.

"Yes, we remember," Artemis agreed. "We'll be here if you need anything. Anything at all."

Usagi looked down at him, and then smiled. "Right," she said, feeling as if a burden had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Luna grinned down at him, and then froze. As Usagi and Mamoru watched with puzzled expressions, she crouched down and tensed. Suddenly, she sprang into the fountain, splashing water everywhere. Usagi and Mamoru laughed as Artemis dodged the water spray, complaining loudly. The three of them leaned over to see what Luna had found so interesting. Luna sat up in the middle of the fountain with a koi in her mouth. She suddenly dropped it, looked around in embarrassment, and scampered back to her friends as she realized that people were staring at her.

"Mmm... That looked tasty," Artemis said as he licked his lips and stared after the fish. Usagi and Mamoru laughed again, shaking their heads.

Usagi snuggled into Mamoru as they stood watching the fish in the fountain once more. Her smile faded a little as she remembered the one person who had not returned. '_Princess..._'


	2. Chapter 2 Dreams of Memories

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_Greetings to my most prolific reviewer, aserene! I hope you like the end result as much as you like the beginning. :) I promise the next chapter will be longer. And Chapter 8 will make up for any short ones in between, hahaha...  
_

_- Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Dreams of Memories_

(One year later)

Ami sat at her seat in the empty class room and stared down at the test in front of her. Absently, she wondered why she was wearing her old elementary school outfit while taking a Harvard Physics II final at Azuban High School. She watched with growing anxiety as the test in front of her changed from a Physics final to a Calculus final, and then to a Chemistry final, and then a Biology final. As rapidly as she tried to answer the questions, the tests changed before she could complete even one.

Before her anxiety could grow overwhelming, however, she heard a noise that made her forget all about tests. Blinking, she raised her head and listened closely, trying to pinpoint it. Once again, the faint, chiming sounds came.

Laying her pencil down and rising from her seat, she walked towards the wall of windows that appeared in the back of the classroom. They faded away and were replaced by a thick silver mist as she approached them.

She looked down curiously as she realized that her outfit had changed as well. She raised a hand questioningly to her suddenly shorter hair, and then brought it around so that she could inspect the long white glove that now covered her arm.

'_Of course... Sailor Mercury..._' she thought to herself with the strange calmness of dreams. She looked around again, and then continued walking into the mist. Slowly, the faint sounds became louder.

Her heart clutched inside of her as she finally recognized the sound. '_The Harp..._' she thought, brown eyes widening in shock. She paused, though, as she realized that there was something different about the sound. She listened and thought for a moment, and then continued walking and listening.

'_It's not as depressed... Or angry_,' she finally decided to herself. '_It sounds more... lonely_?'

She blinked uncertainly as a figure suddenly became visible. She narrowed her eyes, trying to peer through the mist to make it out more clearly. All that she could see, however, was that it was a woman with long hair.

As she came closer, she heard a faint crunching sound and felt something shift under her boots. Looking down at the ground curiously, she realized that she had stepped onto silver sand. She looked up again quickly as the sounds of the harp faded away.

"Go away," she heard the woman say in a cold, hard voice. Her heart clenched again as she recognized it. She stepped forward again as the figure turned to face her. "Princess?" she whispered, reaching out with one hand. For an instant, the mists became thin enough to see that the woman wore her hair in buns on either side of her head with long pigtails streaming out of them.

"Go away," the thinly veiled woman commanded again icily. She raised her right hand and made a pushing motion towards Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Mercury cried in surprise and flailed her arms as she felt herself falling backwards.

With a gasp, Ami sat up in her bed and clutched the sheet to her heaving chest. Her mind raced as she tried to remember the dream that had faded so quickly.

'_Something about Usagi-chan... And being lonely_,' she thought as she dropped the sheet to rub her forehead. '_Why does that make me so sad? And scared_?'

"Usagi-chan," she said softly. She sat quietly for a few more minutes trying to bring the dream back, and then gave up. As she lay down to try to go back to sleep, the cell phone on the nightstand caught her eye. She looked at it a moment, then picked it up and cradled it.

A few moments later, she nodded to herself, opened it up, and placed a call.


	3. Chapter 3 Dancing Distraction

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_Greetings, my faithful reviewer, aserene. Here is Dreams of Memories - Pt II, or "who on earth did Ami call?". (smile) Enjoy, everyone! - Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_ Dancing Distraction_

"Thank you for coming," Rei said with a smile as she bowed to the elderly couple who passed her. The couple smiled and bowed in reply. The afternoon sun made her squint a little as she went back to the task of sweeping the walk.

She started as her cell phone began to ring. With a frown, she reached into her robes and drew it out. The frown faded into a look of surprise as she realized who was calling her.

"Hello? Ami-chan?"

"Rei-chan. Hello. I didn't disturb you from anything important, I hope?" Ami asked softly

Rei shook her head and made a negative noise. "No, I was just beginning my duties at the shrine. What's the matter? Aren't you in America?"

"Yes... Um... I was just wondering... Have you... Has anyone been having weird dreams lately?" Ami felt her face turn red at the strange sounding question.

"Eh? Weird dreams? No... Why? Have you?" Rei replied looking puzzled.

"Mmm..." Ami replied shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I thought I should ask. Thanks, Rei-chan. Have a good day."

"Wait! Ami-chan!" Rei called. As she saw several patrons turn to look at her, she lowered her voice and turned to face the trees. "What did you dream? It must've been pretty strange to make you call me in the middle of the night..."

She waited as Ami debated with herself. "Ami-chan?"

"I don't really remember too much. Just that... It was about Usagi-chan, and it... Made me sad. That's all. It really wasn't important. I'm sorry I disturbed you. I must have still been half asleep or something. Bye." She hung up quickly without waiting to hear Rei's response. Gently, she put the cell phone back on her nightstand and lay back down. Oddly, she felt a little better.

Rei looked at her cell pone with a puzzled expression. Slowly, she put it away and returned to her duties at the shrine. The strange call nagged at her all day long, however, distracting her. For some reason, Ami being saddened by a dream about Usagi worried her deeply.

Finally, she gave in to the need to investigate. She went into the main temple, and knelt in front of the fire. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, she let it out and quieted her thoughts. When she was calm and centered, she reopened her eyes and looked into the fire. She kept her breath even as she waited patiently for the visions to come.

After a few moments, she realized that she was being mesmerized by the dancing flames. She shook her head, and tried to concentrate again. Once again, she found herself distracted by the patterns that the flames made.

She closed her eyes and sighed impatiently as this happened several more times. '_What on earth is wrong with me today_?' she thought irritably to herself. '_This usually isn't so hard. Okay, Rei... Breathe... Focus... Breathe... Calm... Breathe... Concentrate... Breathe... Relax... Breathe... Focus..._'

Slowly, meditatively, she reopened her eyes. Her head tilted slowly to one side as she saw a woman standing in the fire. She had thigh-length black hair, and was dressed in a white body suit with a red miniskirt, purple bow, red pumps, and long white gloves. The woman smiled appreciatively at her, and then shook her head.

'_No,_' she heard in her mind. '_Not yet._' The woman began to dance in the flames, moving her arms in wide arcs. Rei watched fascinated as the flames responded and began to dance with her. For a long moment, she felt as if she was in the flames dancing with bright excitement, and then the priest's voice jerked her out of her entrancement.

"Rei-san!" he called again, shaking her abruptly. "Are you all right? Snap out of it!"

Blinking, she reached up and grabbed one of his arms to steady herself. "S-Sir?" she asked in confusion looking up into his worried face.

He stopped shaking her, and studied her face intently. "Are you all right?" he asked again with a concerned voice. She nodded, and then raised a hand to her face. She gasped with surprise as she realized how hot she was.

As she looked back up at the priest, he nodded. "You almost fell into the flames," he said as he slowly released her.

He turned to study the fire as she steadied herself on one arm. He shook his head and sighed. "Whatever was there is gone now," he said reflectively. She looked up to him in with wide eyes. "Still," he continued, narrowing his eyes, "we can't have mischievous spirits playing in our temple. I will do a cleansing and protection ritual tonight." He nodded to himself, then turned to look at his shrine maiden. "In the meantime, don't use the fire for meditation, okay? I may not be around to protect you next time."

Reluctantly, Rei nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll be careful." Later that night, she dreamed of dancing in flames that didn't burn.


	4. Chapter 4 Faithful Remembrence

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_Wow! Two reviews this time. I'm rakin' 'em in! (grin) aserene: One day, you're going to make me blush... But not yet. Ara? There's a new rule coming about not thanking reviewers? As long as I can keep it short, I thought it was all right. If I ever get so many that I need more than a quick paragraph or two, the only ones who will see their names up here will be the ones who actually make a critical or constructive comment. Everyone else will be thanked by private e-mail. Hopefully, that will make the rulers happy. (smile) _

_And a brand new reviewer! Greetings ToaR! Haha, don't worry, the whole story is written. It's just a matter of pacing the uploads so I don't overwhelm people who want to read it, but don't access every day. Hope you enjoy this one, too!_

_- Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Faithful Remembrance_

(Six months later)

Wrapped in a plush white bathrobe, Minako hummed "C'est la vie…" to herself as she dried her hair. On a nearby table, the little cat plush Usagi had given to her sat and watched blankly.

"You know, Artemis," she said suddenly. "I think that was one of my best songs. There's just something about it... I wonder if I will ever write another tune that will last so long." She smiled as she remembered her trip to the mall earlier and the three little kids she had heard singing her old single in the food court.

She sighed a little as she let the towel drop into her lap. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment, noticing that she had lost even more weight. While most women would have been thrilled at the idea, Minako could see that her bones were beginning to stand out a little too sharply for the camera. Soon, her makeup manager would start coating her face heavily to hide it again. She grimaced at the thought.

"I guess it's about time for me to take another break," she said softly. "A retreat up to the mountains or something." She watched her lips twist into a wry smile at the thought of herself trapped up in a lodge in the mountains with nothing to do but rest.

"Okay, so maybe not," she said as she reached for her comb and began to work the tangles out of her long, thin hair. "Hmm... Shanghai maybe? London is always nice. Maybe I can go to America and see Ami-chan. What do you think, Artemis?"

She turned to look at the plush toy, and then laughed at herself. She was always expecting it to answer her for some reason. "Still no opinion, huh. Well, I guess I'll sleep on it a bit and decide in the morning. Hmm, and I'd better figure out how to tell the boss, too, right?" She smiled again. "La Petit is becoming a little too obvious. Maybe we should go to that new Chinese restaurant in Juuban instead. Makoto said the food there was really good."

She finished combing her hair, then rose and dressed for bed. She slipped between the sheets and pulled two blankets up to cover herself. She studied them with a frown and a sigh as she recognized it as another sign she was getting overstressed. Shaking her head, she turned to the nightstand and turned off the light.

"Goodnight, Artemis," she called softly as she settled onto the pillow. Within minutes, she had drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight, Minako," Artemis called softly into the darkened room. With a soft grunt, he jumped off of the table and walked across the room to her desk. With a mighty leap, he made it to the top of the desk where he opened her laptop. Quickly, he accessed the internet and began to surf the travel websites.

"It's about time you decided to take a break," he grumbled softly as he searched. "You haven't taken any time to yourself in over a year. Everyone needs a break now and then, and you don't have access to Venus' power any more to boost yourself with. Shanghai? No... Too many distractions. Hong Kong, too. London? Not enough distraction. You've seen just about everything there already, and you were just there a few months ago. Besides, you'd probably feel obligated to visit old school mates this time and really stress yourself out. Hmm... Paris? You haven't been there in a while. You could go shopping... Eat a lot of good food... Watch people drawing and painting... Visit a few nightclubs... Yeah, that might work." He tapped at the computer for a while longer, saving website links and creating a proposed itinerary from the travel agency he had "founded" a few years before.

In her dreams, Minako stood outside of a music store and listened to "C'est la vie..." play over the loudspeakers. All around her, people were wearing "C'est la vie..." shirts, carrying "C'est la vie..." posters, and singing along with the song. She quickly grew overwhelmed by it, and reached up to cover her ears.

She stopped with her hands halfway up, however, when she heard a strange, out of place sound. It was very faint, but the thread of melody was still there. She closed her eyes so she could concentrate and hear it better, then turned to her right and walked down the street.

Slowly, the scenery and noise around her faded and she was finally able to make out the thread of sound. She blinked her eyes open in surprise as she realized that it was the sound of a harp. She looked around curiously at the roiling silver mists which surrounded her. She reached up and scooped some of her dark hair behind her ear then moved to step forward again.

"No," she heard a voice say softly. She looked around in surprise and saw a familiar looking woman standing a few feet away. The woman wore a white bodysuit with an orange miniskirt, dark indigo bow, and orange dance shoes. Her dark golden hair was held back from her face by a red bow, and cascaded down her back like a golden waterfall until it came to rest just below her tail bone. Around her waist was a golden chain made out of jeweled circles, and on her arms were long white gloves.

Minako stared at the woman for a few more minutes, and then began to walk towards the sound again.

"No," the woman said again, moving to block her path. "Go back."

Minako frowned. "Why?" she asked forthrightly. "I just want to see who is making that beautiful music. I won't disturb them."

Sailor Venus shook her head. "She does not wish to be disturbed. If you go near her, she will probably try to hurt you. Let her be for now."

Minako looked past the guardian, and shifted uncertainly. "The music sounds... lonely. Are you sure she doesn't want to be disturbed?"

Sailor Venus smiled a little. "I'm sure. Go back to your dreams and think of a new song. Maybe she will hear it and decide to come out."

"Why is she here? Why is she so lonely and sad?" Minako asked curiously, still staring off into the mist behind the guardian.

"She is here because she chooses to be," Sailor Venus answered. "Why is she sad? She has done some things she would rather not remember; made mistakes she would like to take back. She would like to be ordinary for just a little while, but she was born to high position, power, and greatness. She fears herself because of what she can do." For a moment, Sailor Venus looked sad and a little guilty. "She has always been isolated, and so she isolates herself."

Minako's gaze returned to the guardian. "Somehow... I know how that feels," she said softly. "To isolate yourself from others, even your friends… To long to be an ordinary girl for just a little while rather than someone larger than life..."

Sailor Venus nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. That's why I say: go back. Even if I let you go forward, that feeling of isolation will only get worse."

"But..." Minako said taking another step forward.

"No," Sailor Venus said. She lifted her hands, curled her fingers so that the middle and ring fingers were captured by the thumb and the first finger and pinky stood straight up, then brought them to her face and blew gently into them.

Minako stepped back uncertainly at this strange gesture. "Wait! If you won't let me go see her, why don't _you_ go? You sound as if you know her pretty well. Even if she says she doesn't want you around, she is probably longing for a break in the loneliness."

Sailor Venus shook her golden head. "No, not yet. She has to come out by herself. She wouldn't believe me if I said I wanted to be friends now. Maybe one day, but not now." She brought her hands forward and pointed them at Minako. Little streams of light flew out of the holes she had formed and surrounded the surprised singer.

Suddenly, Minako found herself in a busy square somewhere cold and dark. All around her, people were counting down in English and staring at the roof of a nearby tall building.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Minako forgot about the strange woman as the night sky above her was lit with fireworks and she got caught up in the party atmosphere of New Years at Times Square.


	5. Chapter 5 Chance Encounter

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_ And as usual, "Hi, aserene!" (smile) And all my quiet readers out there, too. (wider smile) I'm sorry it's another short chapter... I didn't realize I had so many short ones. But, there are long ones ahead... Chapter 8 at least. In the meantime, enjoy!_

___- Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Chance Encounter_

Gently, Rei pushed hew way into the bookstore. She raised an eyebrow, and shook her head with a little smile as she saw the jaunty skeleton which pointed the way to the special holiday section. Halloween was everywhere these days.

'_I should do something for the kids_,' she thought to herself as she walked towards the occult section. '_Maybe a costume party and a test of courage.._.' The thoughts receded again as she reached her destination and began to look through the books on meditation.

As she was walking slowly along, she bumped into another patron. Immediately, she turned to bow an apology.

"Rei? Hey. What are you doing here?" Makoto asked in surprise, holding a book in front of her.

"Makoto? Hey. I was just looking to see if anything new had come in. What about you?" Rei answered, studying her athletic friend curiously. Makoto smiled and held up the book so that Rei could see the cover.

"I was looking for a new fish recipe," she said as she lowered the Szechuan cookbook once more. "I've been wanting something a little spicier lately. Something with a little more pizazz."

"I see..." Rei said nodding a little. "Have you tried a Thai cookbook? Their food tends to be a little spicy, but with an entirely different flavor than Chinese or Japanese." She glanced back towards the occult shelves once again, then reached out and snagged one to her. Her shoulders sagged a little as she let out a sigh.

"Dancing on Fire?" Makoto asked curiously. "Are you trying to learn how to walk on hot coals now?"

Rei snorted as she shook her head and put the book back on the shelf. Another book caught her attention. Slowly she pulled it out and studied it.

"Dreaming of Elysian..." Makoto read curiously. "What's it about?"

"Dream interpretation," Rei responded absently as she flipped through the pages. She stopped as a chapter title caught her eye. "Religious and Mystical Richness..."

"Hmm... That sounds like you," Makoto said, scanning the first paragraph over her shoulder. Rei looked at her a little defensively. "A strong psychic who works in a religious temple..." As Rei snapped the book shut and moved away, Makoto spoke again. "Have you been having weird dreams lately or something?"

Something in her tone of voice caught Rei's attention. She turned to look at her tall friend. "Why? Have you?"

Makoto nodded slowly. "Not anything I can specifically remember..." Quickly she looked at Rei and waved her free hand in the air. "I wasn't asking you to interpret it or anything. I was just mentioning..."

Rei rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's okay. Why don't we find your cookbook then go sit somewhere?" As Makoto gave her an uncertain look, she smiled a little. "You've got me curious now..."

They left the store a few minutes later, and walked down the street to sit near a fountain. Rei studied her tall friend out of the corner of her eye as the silence stretched comfortably. Finally, she broke it.

"Ami-chan has been having dreams, too," Rei said abruptly, turning to look at Makoto. "Different ones, but dreams that worry her."

"Mmm..." Makoto said, shifting uneasily. "Somehow... I think it would take a pretty special dream to make Ami-chan admit she was worried about it."

Rei nodded. "She doesn't actually_ say_ she's worried about it, but... She calls me about them sometimes, and I can hear the fear, worry, and sadness in her voice even though she tries to hide it."

"Really?" Makoto asked curiously. "Mine aren't like that at all. They seem pretty good to me. Except..."

"Except?" Rei prompted as she trailed off into her thoughts.

Makoto jumped a little, and made a questioning sound. "Oh, except... There is something lonely in it. A sound? A woman?" Rei nodded. "How about you, Rei? Have you been having weird dreams, too?"

Rei sighed and looked at the ground irritably. "Sort of. I haven't been able to meditate in months. There's something in the fire. And at night..." Makoto looked at her curiously, waiting expectantly. "At night... I dream of dancing in flames."

Makoto's eyes widened as she slowly nodded. "Dancing... yes... But not in flames... In the woods? Something bright and sharp... Like lightening..."

Rei studied her, mentally noting the descriptions. When it was obvious Makoto wasn't going to say anything more, Rei spoke again. "Ami-chan dreams of mist. Walking in the mist. And there's a harp playing somewhere. She thinks Usagi is playing it, which makes her sad for some reason."

"A harp?" Makoto said sitting up abruptly. "Yes, that's it. That's the sound. That's not what I'm dancing to, exactly, but it's there." She turned to look at Rei, feeling her stomach clench for some reason. "She thinks Usagi is playing the harp?"

Rei spread her hands and shrugged. "That's what she told me one time. It's hard to get her to talk about them. You hear a harp, too, huh..." She sat in silence for a moment. "I think I do, too," she admitted softly, almost absently.

Makoto shot her a sharp look. "That's weird. Three of us? How about Usagi? Or Minako?"

Rei shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen Minako in a while. I think she's been on a tour somewhere. And... Somehow, it doesn't seem right to ask Usagi." '_Almost like I'm afraid of what I will find_,' she added to herself.


	6. Chapter 6 Request

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_Hi aserene! Funny you should mention Usagi... (grin) This is the last short chapter, I promise. All of the remaining ones are at least three times this size. Each! Hahaha... Enjoy! - Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Request_

"Done!" Usagi exclaimed, clapping her hands together in joy. As closed her books and put them back in her book bag, she turned to Luna with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "See? I can do my homework early if I want to," she said teasingly.

The purple cat plush nodded with a smile and squinted eyes. "Nnn, nnn!" she said happily. Unable to resist teasing her mistress, however, she continued. "When you want to… Which isn't very often, is it?"

Usagi's smile transformed into a teasing pout. "Luna…" she whined.

The cat laughed, and smiled again. "There, there. You're done, and now you can stay up and watch Minako's last London concert on TV tonight after dinner."

Usagi smiled again as she turned back to her desk and began to put her pencils, erasers, and rulers away. "I can't wait," she sighed happily. A picture in a silver frame perched on the top of her desk caught her eye. She reached out, picked it up, and studied it for a few moments. Slowly, her finger traced Ami's cheek as she looked at the group photo which had been taken at the local amusement park after one of Minako's concerts.

Luna felt a little helpless as she saw her mistress' sad, lonely expression. "Usagi-chan…"

Abruptly, Usagi shook herself and smiled again. She put the picture back in its place of honor, and then rose from her desk. She looked at her clock, and then nodded decisively as she turned to her dresser. "Great, I have time for a bath before dinner!"

A few minutes later, she walked out of the room still smiling. Luna sat on her desk and sighed. Slowly, her head sank down and she closed her eyes, clearly debating with herself. With a sudden shake, she raised her head, leapt down from the table, and bounded her way over to the window. Pushing it open, she could just see the faint half moon that floated overhead.

"Queen Serenity," she called softly as she stared up at it. The golden crescent moon on her forehead began to glitter and glow. "Queen Serenity, please hear me. I don't know what to do…" She stiffened and gasped as she felt the tingle of magic in the air.

A golden silver beam of light descended from the moon and pooled on the window sill in front of her. In the beam, a woman who looked like a slightly older version of Usagi dressed in a long white gown appeared. Her dark hair was gathered behind her head in a partial bun, with the ends cascading down her back. Her every movement showed whispered of great power being tightly restrained.

"Luna…" the image said in a soft, controlled voice.

"Queen Serenity!" the cat cried softly in amazement. "But how?"

After a brief hesitation that was only partially a result of the time lag, the queen of the moon smiled faintly. "I heard your prayer, and I came to answer you. But hurry, little one. I cannot stay too long," she said slowly in a controlled, measured voice.

Luna shook herself and bowed. "It is the Princess," she said quickly. "She is so sad. Her friends do not have the same memories that she does, so she is feeling distanced from them. It's just like when the Prince was captured by Queen Beryl. Even her smile is the same! I want to help them remember, but…"

Slowly, the queen shook her head. "You must follow the Princess' will," she said softly to the cat plush.

"But..!" Luna protested.

The queen shook her head slowly again. "She will be even sadder if you interfere. Do not worry, Luna. I sense the senshi are not happy either, and that they will be doing something about it fairly soon. Patience…"

As Luna bowed resignedly, the queen and her moonbeam faded away.


	7. Chapter 7 Frustration

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_Greetings to Taeniaea and aserene. (smile) I know it wasn't fast enough, but it is long enough (I hope). Please enjoy, minna!_

_ - Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Frustration_

Makoto sighed softly as she turned over in her sleep. In her dreams, she walked across a wide clearing covered with wildflowers. Her knee-length white dress caught on the long grasses as she went, and her right hand gently batted at seed pods.

The wind began to blow strongly, rusting the tall trees that surrounded the clearing. Looking up, she saw the sky begin to cloud over. Rather than being disappointed, she began to feel more excited. Eagerly, she picked up her pace. She laughed as she dashed into the cover of the trees as the first few raindrops hit the ground.

As she entered the trees and thunder began to rumble, she transformed into Sailor Jupiter. With a delighted smile, she began to dance to the sound of rustling trees, rolling thunder, and falling rain.

A few minutes later, she paused as she heard another sound. Very faintly, it crept its way through the forest, blending in with the sound of the rain drops. Cocking her head curiously, she began to make her way quietly towards its source.

'_Stop,_' a voice commanded gently inside her head. Surprised, Sailor Jupiter looked around. When she didn't see anything, she continued forward again. Curiously, she noted that a fog was beginning to rise.

'_Stop_,' the voice said again as she reached the edge of a wall of fog.

Once again, she looked around. This time, her eyes narrowed a little angrily. "Who's there?" she called. No-one answered her.

A few moments later, she moved to step forward into the mist, and the voice came again. '_Stop_.'

"No," she replied. "I don't listen to cowards, and I want to see who's playing the harp."

Suddenly, she was covered with a bright, warm green light. As her eyes widened, the light pulled itself off of her, shrank into a six inch ball, and flew a short distance away into the mist in front of her. There, it expanded up and became Sailor Jupiter. Makoto stared at her in disbelief.

"You must stop," Sailor Jupiter said sternly.

"You…" Makoto sighed in disbelief. Abruptly, she shook herself. "Why? Why can't we go forward?"

Super Sailor Jupiter just shook her head without taking her green eyes off of Makoto's brown ones. "She does not wish to be disturbed."

"Who?" Makoto asked a little belligerently. "Why?" As Sailor Jupiter just watched her quietly, her frustration level increased. "Answer me…"

"All you need to know is that you cannot go forward. Go back to your dream," Sailor Jupiter commanded gently. She held back a smile as Makoto shook her head stubbornly and took another step into the mist. "Stop," she said again.

Makoto turned resolutely away from her and began to walk into the mist again. Suddenly, she felt herself caught and held. With wide eyes, she realized that the trees had reached out and caught her. The more she struggled, the tighter they held her.

"You must stop," Sailor Jupiter said again as she appeared in front of Makoto.

"Why are you doing this?" the girl cried out in frustration. "You are me! You should be helping me, not stopping me!"

Sailor Jupiter abruptly turned away and faced deeper into the mist. "We are no longer one," she said tonelessly. "And I have my orders."

"What orders? What do you mean?" Suddenly, Makoto remembered something important. "And why can't I remember you outside of my dreams?"

"We are no longer one," Sailor Jupiter said again as she began to fade into the mist.

As the dream began to fade, Makoto clung stubbornly to the knowledge that she had once been Sailor Jupiter, a guardian of a great princess, and that she had fought against the Dark Kingdom to protect that princess and this world. She squeezed her eyes shut and held on to it, cradling it to her chest as her physical body curled into a fetal position on her bed.

Suddenly, she woke up. As her eyes stared blankly into the early morning light, her face began to crease with uncertainty and displeasure. "What…" '_What was that dream? There was something important,_' she thought to herself as she slowly uncurled and sat up. '_Something I was determined to remember…_'

When she realized that it had slipped away from her, she frowned grumpily. An irritable, angry, frustrated feeling came and cast a pall over her day. As her alarm began to beep, she glared at it. Finally, she sighed, slapped it quiet, threw off her covers and began to get ready for her new part-time job.

* * *

With a fiercely determined look, Rei carried a small bowl into the main temple. She glared at the sacred flame for a moment, and then settled herself in front of it. As she closed her eyes, she took a deep, cleansing breath and let it flow out slowly. She centered herself, and opened her eyes a few moments later.

Slowly, ceremoniously, she raised her hand, scooped some of the incense out of the bowl, and tossed it in an arc gently into the flames. She continued to breathe deeply and rhythmically as the scent of cinnamon and star anise began to fill the room. After a few minutes, she repeated the gesture, and then again after a few more minutes.

After the third toss, she set the bowl on the ground beside her. She closed her eyes once more, and focused all of her attention to what she desired to accomplish. In front of her, the flames crackled and danced. Just under the soft roar of the flame, she heard some of the local birds begin to chirp their greeting to the rising sun. Gently, she pushed that sound out of her mind and concentrated on the sound of the flames.

Eventually, she opened her eyes. As she expected, the woman was once again in the flames studying her with a neutral expression and expressionless violet eyes. The woman's dark hair and skirt moved with the flames, but otherwise she stood perfectly still.

"Who are you?" Rei asked softly. "Why do I feel as if I know you?"

"I am Mars," the woman replied. Silently, she refused to say more.

"Why do I know you? Why are you haunting me?" Rei asked. Sailor Mars did not answer. Brown eyes locked with violet ones as Rei tried to make the woman respond by sheer willpower.

Finally, Sailor Mars' expression thawed and she smiled slightly. "You are stubborn."

"You will answer my questions," Rei responded in a determined voice. She frowned as Sailor Mars' smile grew wider.

"A deal… When you can properly light a candle, you will have your answers," the guardian said. Slowly, she faded back into the flames.

"A candle? What's so hard about lighting a candle?" Rei asked taken aback. She suddenly realized that the woman was almost gone. "Wait!"

"You must light it properly…" she heard Sailor Mars say faintly as she disappeared.

Rei studied the flames for a few more moments, and then sighed in defeat. Sailor Mars was no longer in the flames. Moving with a little more speed, she picked up the bowl, stood up, and left the temple with a bow. '_There's more than one way to light a candle?_' she thought to herself as she walked along.

* * *

Makoto struggled to keep her expression polite and helpful as the young man she was assisting dithered back and forth between selecting a small bouquet of tulips and an arrangement with a single sunflower. He had been trying to make up his mind for almost five minutes, and she was becoming quite impatient.

"Look, your fiancé likes sunflowers, right?" she asked, trying to prompt him along.

"Oh yes," he replied as he turned from the tulips back to the sunflower. "She really likes them, but… I don't know if she loves them… And she really does love the color red," he said as he turned back to the tulips.

"You should get her the sunflower," she said decisively as she lifted the arrangement up, and moved to carry it to the counter for wrapping.

"Are you sure?" he asked a little anxiously as he followed her, turning to look over his shoulder at the tulip bouquet.

"You can trust Mako-chan'," another male voice said enthusiastically. Makoto blinked in surprise as she turned around and saw Motoki holding a cardboard box and beaming at her customer.

"Really?" the man asked as he looked at Motoki a little suspiciously.

"Oh, yes," he replied, nodding his head decisively. "She has a lot of experience with plants, and she is a woman after all. She would know what another woman would like. Right, Kamekichi-kun?" He grinned down at his pet turtle which blinked up at him from within his cardboard carrier.

The customer's face lit up, and he quickly nodded in agreement. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" he exclaimed as he turned back to Makoto. "I'll take the sunflower," he said as he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

"Certainly, sir," she replied, somehow keeping the relief out of her voice. Deftly, she wrapped the flowers in two sheets of paper. The inner one was red, while the outer one was white with the store's name printed on it. Around the package, she tied a red ribbon and attached a big red bow. With a delighted smile, the man paid for the flowers and left the store.

Makoto watched him go with relief, and then turned to begin straightening up the display. Her mood spoiled again, however, when she saw the store manager give her a significant glare. There was no doubt she was a little upset that Makoto had not pushed for the more expensive arrangement. With a grimace and a sigh, she turned to look at Motoki. "And what can I do for you?" she asked a little roughly.

Motoki studied her face, and his smiled dimmed a little. "Um… Actually, I was hoping you could help me," he replied a little bashfully. "You see… Kamekichi-kun has a date, and I was hoping you could help him select some flowers to take with him."

Makoto's hand paused as she inclined her head towards Motoki in surprise. "Kamekichi-kun…"

"Yes," he said as his smiled brightened again. "With a registered lady, so it should be something special. I was thinking maybe roses…"

"Roses?" Makoto asked in surprise. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. With a reluctant smile, she turned and pulled out a few daisies and put them together with a few branches of fern. "Don't you think that roses are a bit much for a first date?"

As she turned back to the counter, the handles of the shears in her apron pocket caught the bucket of daisies and tipped it over. Makoto stared blankly as water and flowers spilled down her pants and onto the floor. Reflexively, she caught the small black bucket before it fell. "Great," she sighed. She put the bouquet she had been making onto the counter, and then bent down to start cleaning up the mess.

Motoki put Kamekichi's box down on the counter next to the flowers, and quickly came around it to help her. "You think so?" he asked as he gently picked up several daisies.

"Eh?" she asked confused.

"You think roses are too much for a first date?" he asked again, trying to distract her. As she picked up the last of the flowers, he snatched up a towel and began to mop up the water. Belatedly, she tried to stop him.

"Motoki," she hissed as she shot a concerned glance towards her manager who was watching her silently. "I'll get it, sir. Please don't concern yourself," she said more loudly as she tried to take the towel away from him.

"Oh, I do this all of the time," he said with a smile. "Besides, I'm almost done. So what would you suggest instead of roses?"

Makoto finally sat back with a sigh, and then rose to put the daisies back in the bucket. "Well, I was going to suggest those daisies with the ferns," she said softly as she lifted the bucket out of the rack. Motoki followed her to the sink and wrung out the towel as she refilled the bucket with water.

"Hmmm… You know, I think turtles like ferns," he said thoughtfully. He nodded decisively and smiled. "Yes, I'll do that." He laid the towel over the edge of the sink and then walked back to the displays and picked up the red tulips. With a smile at her manager, he turned and carried them to the counter. "I'll take these, too."

"Eh?" she asked in surprise as she wrapped up the daisy bouquet. "The tulips?"

"Mm," he replied. "They'll look great beside Kamekichi-kun's home, don't you think?"

"Y-yeah," she said uncertainly. Within a few minutes he had paid for his flowers, put them in the box with Kamekichi-kun (wrapped in plastic, of course), and left with a smile and a wish for her to have a good day.

Several hours later, she made her way tiredly back to her apartment. It had been a horrible day, and she was quite glad it was over. As she reached into her purse to pull out her keys, a flash of red caught her eye. She stared wide eyed at the tulip bouquet that waited patiently on her doorstep for her return home. As she stooped down to pick them up, she saw a small white card.

"I hope these cheer you up. Thank you for the advice. From Motoki." Slowly, a smile appeared on her face. She tucked the card back into the flowers, and then lifted them to her face for a deep breath.


	8. Chapter 8 To Properly Light a Candle

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_Wow, a brand new reviewer. (smile) Thanks, Starsketch007! According to the stats, I have about 40 people or so following the story, so it can't be all that unpopular, hahaha... I guess most people are like me. If I don't have something to say, I tend not to review. I love reviews as much as any author, but I can't hold people to a standard I can't meet... (smile) Thanks for the feedback._

_And, of course, hi to aserene... The chapter you have been waiting for... Will Rei and Makoto win? Only two more to go... Enjoy, minna!  
_

_ - Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_To Properly Light a Candle_

Furtively, Rei looked over her shoulder and made sure the coast was clear. She held the end of a long, red, tapered candle and carefully tilted it into the edge of the sacred fire. When it caught, she drew it out, and then looked expectantly at the fire. Her shoulders sank and she sighed as she realized that this wasn't what Mars had meant either.

She extinguished the flame, and sat down to stare irritably into the flames. "How do you properly light a candle?" she mumbled to herself. So far, she had tried with matches, a lighter, a lit wick, transferring the flame from another candle, and now trying to get the flame from the sacred fire. "Light it with electricity!"

Her eyes widened as the exasperated exclamation led to an idea. Quickly, she jumped to her feet, snatched up the taper, and left the shrine with a bow. The priest watched with interest as she ran past him and into the main living area. He followed curiously, and found her in the kitchen holding the wick of the candle to the electric eye of the stove.

When if finally caught fire, she stood up, turned off the stove and carefully carried it back to the shrine. Thoroughly curious now, the priest followed her. He watched as she stared into the flames for a few minutes, and then sighed with defeat and snuffed the candle.

"Rei-san," he called as she once again bowed her way out of the main shrine area. He tilted his head when she jumped and turned to look at him, hiding the candle behind her back. Her neutral, slightly belligerent expression told him that something serious was up. "Rei-san, what are you trying to do?" he asked curiously.

"Sir?" she asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You have been running around with that candle for several days now, lighting it and extinguishing it. What are you trying to do?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

With a sigh, she brought the candle out from behind her back and studied it. She blinked as a sudden thought occurred to her. "I… I am trying to figure out how to light it properly, sir," she replied as she lifted her head and looked him in the eye.

"Light it properly?" he asked. Something about the phrasing sounded familiar to him. He thought about it as he watched her nod. "And why would you want to do that?" he asked, trying to buy himself some more time.

"There… There is something that I want to learn, but I cannot until I know the proper way to light a candle," she replied reluctantly. She waited, hoping that he would be able to give her a clue.

"I see…" he sighed, still unable to bring the thought out. "Well, please do not neglect your other duties," he said as he turned away. "The younger children are organizing another play. I am sure they would appreciate your help again."

"Yes sir," she said with a bow, smothering her disappointment. With a frown, she also turned away and began to walk down the steps. Her mind, however, was not on whatever play the children wanted to do this time, but on coming up with another way to light a candle.

Over the next several days, the priest watched her try to light it with a coal, with another candle while chanting, while burning incense, while doing both. Once, he almost surprised her as she tried dancing first, a strange dance that seemed to mimic the movement of the flames. Fortunately, he stopped himself before she knew he was there. A frustrated Rei was bad enough around the temple. An embarrassed, frustrated Rei would be even worse.

He himself felt a bit frustrated himself as he tried to remember where he had heard that particular phrase before. He took to looking through his old books, reading old mantras, and dropping it into conversations with old friends.

* * *

Ami watched quietly as the professor slowly poured liquid nitrogen from a dewar into a large beaker. As he poured, he talked about the uses and dangers of the extremely cold liquid which could be used to freeze food or patches of skin cancer on a patient.

Carefully, he put the dewar down, and pushed the smoking beaker to the middle of the table. He then picked up another dewar and began to fill a beaker with a pale, sky blue liquid. Something about the color of the liquid combined with the way it smoked and boiled caught Ami's attention, and her brown eyes narrowed.

"Now, can anyone tell me what this liquid is, based on its characteristics?" the professor asked.

"Oxygen," Ami heard herself say absently.

"Correct, Ms. Mizuno. And how did you know that?" he asked as the rest of the class turned to look at her in surprise.

"It is extremely cold, similar to the nitrogen, but it is the color of the sky. A frosty, clear blue…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened as a vision of boiling, roiling mist spraying from her hands crossed her mind. Her hand went up to her forehead and rubbed it absently.

"Precisely. Although air is clear, the sky has a blue appearance because of the way the sunlight reflects off of the oxygen," the professor added. He put the second dewar down, and opened his mouth to say something more when the bell rang signaling the end of the lecture.

"There will be a short quiz tomorrow," he called to the students as they began to quickly pack their bags, put on their cold weather gear, and run off to their next lecture. "And please begin reading chapters 18 and 19."

Ami followed behind the other students as they left the lecture hall, but instead of heading to her next class, she found herself wandering down to a little frozen stream. She sat carefully on its bank in a patch of early morning sunlight, and cradled her head in her gloved hands.

'_What are these visions?_' she thought to herself. '_Why do they seem so familiar?_' She lifted her head and looked down at her hands. '_I can almost feel that liquid coming out of my skin…_'

As she concentrated on that phantom feeling, her forehead began to burn. Instinctively, she ignored it, concentrating instead on the visions and how they felt as well as how they looked. Suddenly, she gasped and jerked up right. On her forehead, the symbol of Mercury glowed with a bright, frosty blue light, the color of oxygen, cool spring water, and life.

* * *

Minako smiled brightly, turned, and pulled her hat flirtatiously over one eye. Her photographer walked around her snapping pictures, and muttering encouragements. She mischievously turned the session into a flirtatious game, and he snapped it up both emotionally and on camera.

Sitting in her bag off to one side, Artemis watched with a little concern as he realized that she was beginning to tap into her basic, most elemental talent. He sighed with relief when her manager signaled the end of the session.

"Okay, Minako-chan! Beautiful. Beautiful. And now, we must hurry and change," Saito said brightly as he walked onto the stage, the only person in sight apparently unaffected by her game.

Minako smiled, and straightened up. "Yes, sir. Where are we off to now?" she asked, still glowing from the fun.

"Let's see… We have an interview, and then dinner. And tomorrow, you have a recording session, so you must get to bed at a reasonable time," he replied giving her a stern look. She pouted playfully at him, and then smiled and scooped up Artemis and her bag.

"Okay, I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder as she walked quickly to her dressing room. She began humming "C'est la vie…" as she put her bag on the makeup table and stepped behind a screen to change her clothes.

As she stepped out again, Artemis widened his eyes. She was wearing a very attractive red bodice halter with an open, bright yellow, long sleeved, lacy overshirt and a black leather miniskirt. On her feet, she wore strappy, black stiletto heels. She leaned towards the mirror to check her makeup, and Artemis gulped.

Suddenly, she looked down at him. "Artemis," she said softly with a sparkle in her brown eyes.

'_No, oh no…_' he thought to himself as he desperately tried not to tremble. He recognized that innocent sparkle. She was planning to surprise him somehow. '_Mus'n't move… Mus'n't move…_'

"What do you think of this?" she asked. She put a small box on the table in front of him, and he began to tremble even more. "It's a surprise for the boss," she said. "You know how he likes bears? Well, I got him one." As she opened the box, a little stuffed bear popped out with a roar and bounced around on its spring.

Artemis jumped a bit, and squawked in surprise even though he had been expecting something like it. Minako began to giggle with delight. Suddenly, however, she stopped, and her eyes widened. Artemis began to sweat uncontrollably as he realized that he had probably been caught. A bright glow on her forehead, however, completely distracted him.

"Minako?" he called tentatively, as the bright golden symbol of Venus lit the room.

* * *

"Ah!" the priest exclaimed as he stared at the hokku on the page in front of him. "That's it!" Quickly, he rose and went in search of Rei.

"Rei-san!" he called when he spotted her bending over to talk with one of the young girls. She stood up and looked at him curiously. With a gentle smile, she bent down to the girl and said something softly. The girl grinned, nodded, and ran off to rejoin the group of children who were painting trees on a large canvas.

"Yes, sir?" she asked as she walked towards him. His excited face aroused her curiosity.

"Ahem," he said as he came to a halt. He put a serious expression on his face and caught her eyes. "The burning sun shows / The true way to light the dark / A flame from within," he said in a significant tone.

She gave him a puzzled look, and then her eyes grew wide. Completely forgetting to bow, she spun and ran for the main temple. He followed more slowly. He watched her settle onto a cushion in front of the flame and shut her eyes. She held her candle in front of her, and began to breathe deeply and slowly. He waited patiently behind her to see what would happen.

Rei concentrated, and turned her awareness inward. Sure enough, she felt the touch of fire deep in her soul. She imagined herself turning the candle in to the edge of the inner flames and the candle being lit. Absently, she noted that her forehead was growing warm.

The priest watched as she slowly moved the candle. It appeared that she was using it to write the kanji for light. Suddenly, the wick burst into flame. His eyes widened as he saw a bright, pure red aura surround her. Unseen by him, the symbol of Mars burned on her forehead as she abruptly opened her eyes.

* * *

Makoto breathed deeply and steadily as she worked her way through the brown level kata exercise. She had felt a strange urge to start studying martial arts a little less than two years ago, and had settled on Aikido and Karate. Her masters were surprised at how quickly she had advanced, especially since she was studying both at once.

Her movements were crisp and clean, and her sneakers brushed the grass as she moved from one side of the park to the other. A feeling of peace settled over her as she practiced the movements which might one day save not only herself but another.

She stilled her movements, and then opened her eyes. The feeling of peace lingered as she walked over and leaned against a giant oak tree for a short break. She closed her eyes again, and listened to the cold wind rustle the leaves all around her with a smile. The memory of the tulips that Motoki had given her a few weeks before made her smile bigger and brighter.

There was something about Motoki. Somehow, she felt that he was one of the few people that could truly understand her. As she was thinking of this, a sudden vision appeared in her mind. A dark bridge. Motoki staring up at her in shock and amazement. Another vision of Motoki nodding, encouraging her to leave and do what she needed to do.

She frowned as she straightened up and returned to her kata practice. She had never seen that before, had she? As she moved, another vision came to her. Motoki, sprawled unconscious on the road with a small turtle charm in his hand. She felt her heart tighten in pain.

'_No. He cannot die. He cannot get hurt. I will protect him. I will. I will protect them both_,' she thought to herself as she increased her speed. Soon, she was sparring with an invisible partner, each movement a strong declaration of her determination to protect innocents. On her forehead, a small light began to glow. As she finished the exercise with a loud "Kya!" it burst into full, green brilliance. Her body stiffened and her eyes widened as the symbol for Jupiter sparkled on her forehead.

* * *

"The best food preparation tool of the century!" the salesman called to his gathered audience as Usagi drug her reluctant mother away. "It can cut the most delicate of tomatoes, the most fragile of hard boiled eggs, and yet still rice a potato effortlessly!"

"Oh, Usagi! Did you see?" Ikuko exclaimed as she looked over her shoulder. "He just cut that cabbage into fine bits!"

"Eh?" Usagi said as she looked over her shoulder. "I thought the potato was next." With a shrug, she continued to drag her mother away from the table and into the nearest store. "We're here to buy Papa a present," she said sternly as her mother pouted. "After that, we can shop."

Ikuko's face suddenly brightened, and she nodded. "Yes. Papa first, and then us! Right?" she asked with a grin.

"Right!" Usagi answered with a matching grin. The two women happily spent the next hour browsing through various stores looking for just the right present for Usagi's father, Kenji. Finally, they decided on a tie and an electronic organizer/notebook.

They picked a table in the food court and began to plot their next moves. Suddenly, Ikuko looked at her daughter. She leaned in as if to whisper a secret to her. Usagi's eyes widened as she leaned in to listen. "Usagi," she said in a serious tone, "Mama is thirsty." Usagi sat back, looked at her mother a little warily, and then began to smile and laugh. "What would you like?" Ikuko asked as she stood up.

"Cream soda," Usagi replied with a grin.

Ikuko quirked an eyebrow at her, and then grinned back. "Guard Papa's presents," she called as she moved away.

Usagi's grin mellowed into a smile as she watched her mother disappear into the crowd. Gently, she pulled the electronic organizer out of its bag and began to inspect the box. '_I'm so lucky,_' she thought to herself as she read the information on the back of the box. '_I have such a good family. And such good friends._' For a moment, her smile dimmed as she remembered how she had destroyed it all just a couple of years before. Then, she shook herself and smiled again, determined to enjoy the present.

She was putting the electronic organizer back into its bag when she felt something strange deep in her soul. Her eyes widened, and then grew worried as she identified the source of the feeling. "Everyone?" she said softly as her hand went to her chest uncertainly.

* * *

Slowly, Ami rose to her feet and lifted her book bag out of the dormant grass. With a meditative look, she began to walk to her third class. In her mind, she began to work her way through the memories she had regained.

* * *

Artemis watched as Minako closed her eyes, lowered her head, and took a deep breath. "A song to draw her out, hmmm?" she said to no-one in particular. She opened her eyes and gave Artemis a commanding look. "Do not tell her," she ordered abruptly. His eyes widened as he realized that she had remembered. "Or Luna. Not yet…"

* * *

"Rei-san?" the priest called softly as the light around her faded.

"That idiot," she muttered as her eyes began to focus on the candle. "Always trying to do it all herself…"

"Rei-san, are you all right?" the priest asked a little more loudly. Rei started, and then turned to look at him. Slowly, she nodded. As he nodded back, he noted that her expression was very serious, but that there was a new light in her eyes and in her aura.

"Rei-san, there is not much more I can teach you," he said slowly. He watched her blink in surprise. He also noted that she looked a little nervous. "However… There is a place I would like to send you. A temple in Kyoto where you can begin to explore your mystical powers more deeply."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "A temple in Kyoto?" she asked as she absently pushed a lock of brown hair back over her shoulder.

He nodded. "There is a master there who is much stronger than I in the mystical arts. I will see if he would be willing to teach you to control your new powers." Looking thoughtful, she slowly nodded to him and made a noise of agreement.

* * *

Makoto slowly relaxed her stance and stared into space. In her mind, she watched the newly freed memories unfold. With a shudder, she reached up and covered her face. '_I failed,_' she thought miserably. '_I didn't protect any of them. Because I was weak, she…_' She shuddered again as she remembered the look on Usagi's face: the totally blank look of one who was buried in despair and loss.

She blinked as it was replaced with a more recent image of Usagi standing in the flower shop, eyes closed, taking a deep breath to inhale the scent of a red rose. Usagi's eyes opened, and for just a moment, they shone happily.

"She's alive," Makoto said softly to herself. "I'm alive. We're all alive. She must have done something…" Several more images of Usagi flashed through her mind. In all of them Usagi was smiling, but the smile did not reach her eyes except when she was with her boyfriend Mamoru.

Makoto started as she realized just who Mamoru really was. "He's alive, too?..." Her eyes narrowed as she remembered that the two had been dating, without incident, for a little over two years. She suddenly smiled as she realized that everything must be all right now. "We're free…"


	9. Chapter 9 Secrets

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_Hi, aserene! I was really proud of Ami's and Rei's "recuperation". grimace Minako's was the hardest and one day I may go back and revise it. I'm glad you liked it! And I hope you like this one, too. Hahaha, we have guests today. I don't know how they worked their way in, but I don't own them either!_

_Well, I forgot the breakout chapter, but I did bring the whole story. So, I can upload Ch. 9 after all. (smile) I hope everyone enjoys!_

_- Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Secrets_

With an angry, frustrated sound, Minako snapped her laptop shut and stood up. "I'm going for a walk," she announced to Artemis as she picked up a jacket and her purse. The white plush cat stared at her with wide eyes as she strode out the door. As it shut behind her, his eyes turned to all of the wadded up paper that surrounded the computer.

Minako strode down the street, taking care to not look at the people passing by. Somehow, she slipped by unnoticed. In her mind, she laced words together and tore them apart, trying to come up with just the right song to draw the Princess out of her little shell.

She checked her stride as a little girl, no more than five years old, ran in front of her. Unaware that she had almost hit someone, the girl looked over her shoulder and hollered for her friend to hurry up. "Come _on_, Himeko-chan! Let's play!" Himeko, a very dainty, polite little girl, looked at Minako with large eyes, and then bowed an apology for her friend. When Minako smiled and shook it off, the girl smiled back, and followed after her friend at a fast walk.

Curious, Minako followed the two little girls to a local playground. For the lack of anything better to do, she sat on a swing and began to rock back and forth as she watched the children in the park play all of their various games. Laughter, tears, encouragement, and the bright poppy sound of kids' songs sounded around her.

She blinked, and turned to look to her left as she heard a thread of contrasting melody. A little girl was singing a soft lullaby to her baby doll as she rocked her to sleep. Her face and eyes lit up as the contrast in sound between the lullaby and the bouncy song coming over the speakers gave her a sudden idea. Quickly, she jumped up from the swing and made her way back to the hotel room.

* * *

Rei slowly pushed her way into the flower shop where Makoto worked part time. She looked around at all of the bright flowers and western style Christmas arrangements that leant the shop a warm, homey air. With a feeling of amazement, she realized that it was almost the end of the year. She wandered through the displays looking for her friend.

Makoto finished tying a dark pink ribbon onto a soft, upright, white bunny with long ears. The ribbon matched the pink silk lining its ears, and the little pads on its feet. Its blue bead eyes seem to stare at her expectantly as she sat it on the work bench and sighed. '_She'll like it, but will she like it…_' she wondered uncertainly.

Hearing the bell over the door, she turned to greet her new customer. She looked a little surprised when she saw Rei wandering through the aisles. Rei didn't like cut flowers very much, so it was unusual for her to come into the shop. Leaving the rabbit, she walked quickly to her friend with a quirked eyebrow. "Hey," she called.

Rei turned with a small smile. "Hey." The two friends stared at each other a moment, each waiting for the other to say something.

Finally, Makoto broke the silence. "What brings you here? Are you looking for something in particular?"

'_You,_' Rei thought to herself, but could not bring herself to ask the question that was burning on her tongue. "The kids are planning to have a play, and I was wondering if we could get some greenery for the background," she said instead.

"Sure," Makoto said with a smile. "What kind of play are they doing this time?" she asked as she led Rei to the greenery section.

"This one is going to be about Amateresu hiding the sun, and then being tricked into shining again. Erika-chan is going to be playing Amateresu," Rei replied.

"Really?" Makoto asked with a smile. For the next several minutes, the two friends discussed the play and greenery, each dodging uncomfortably around the question they wanted to ask the other. As they made their final selections and took them back to the workbench to work on potential arrangements, Rei spotted the bunny that Makoto had forgotten. Her eyes widened as she saw the ribbon it was wearing.

"It was that shade…" she said softly as she reached out to finger it.

Makoto looked at her in shock. '_Could she possibly…_' she thought to herself a little excitedly. "What was?" she asked, struggling to sound nonchalant as she turned back to the greenery. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Rei jumped and gave her a look.

Rei studied her a moment, and then screwed up her courage. She tried to sound just as nonchalant as she turned back to the rabbit and replied. "Usagi's bow. It was just that shade…"

Makoto froze, and then turned to meet her friend's eyes. "Yes… At least, it was at first…" The two girls stared at each other, and then spun away, and focused on the greenery once more.

* * *

Ami sat the lecture hall and waited for her American Literature professor to arrive. Idly, she clicked her knitting needles as she studied the differential equations problem in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to solve it mentally. With a sigh of pleasure, she put the needles down and quickly scribbled an answer on the page. She flipped the paper over, and then frowned in disappointment when she realized that she had finished all of the problems that she had copied.

Smoothing her face to hide her disappointment, she put the papers away and picked up her knitting once more. As she looked at the pink and white muffler, she smiled. It had taken a very long time to find just the right shade of dark pink, but it was looking just the way she wanted it to. Idly, she wondered if she should make a hat, muffler, and mitten set for each of her friends. She frowned as she realized that she didn't have much time before Christmas.

She had just decided that she was far enough ahead in all of her classes to be able to slack off a little, when the banging of a door made her raise her head and stare wide eyed. Two blonde women ran quickly into the hall and took their seats by their friends just as the bell in the hallway rang to signal the start of lectures.

"Made it!" the platinum blonde with long pigtails gasped as she slumped down onto her desktop.

"Nice… going,… Serena," her golden blonde friend panted as she pressed one hand to her chest. She shared a grin of accomplishment and a high five with her roommate.

"What's the excuse this time, Mina?" their friend with long black hair asked as she raised a dark eyebrow. "Your car wouldn't start? Serena's alarm clock didn't go off? Channel 2 was playing a rerun of Entertainment Tonight?"

Ami watched as Mina glared at her friend, and then playfully tossed her head. "No, Raye… We actually got out the door on time this morning! Unfortunately, some idiot decided to slip on black ice on the Anderson Bridge and close it down, so we had to take the long way around," she replied a little self righteously.

Ami's eyes widened, and then narrowed in puzzlement. She turned her eyes to the other "Amy" in the class as she closed her book and looked up in surprise. "On the Anderson Bridge? Mina… That was last night, not this morning…" Mina and Serena stared at their blue-headed friend in disbelief.

"Last… night?" Serana asked, her voice slowly rising. "You mean I ran all the way from Holyoke for nothing?" Their brown haired friend, Lita, who had just entered the hall raised an eyebrow, and then rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind her.

"Holyoke?" she asked as she joined the group. "Why on earth did you park all the way over there?" she asked curiously, and then shook her head. "Never mind. Guess what?"

"What?" her four friends chorused as the rest of the class looked on curiously. Years of generating attention made the five girls oblivious to it now.

"Professor Heinz isn't going to be here this morning," Lita said, giving an uneasy glance towards Serena. "Apparently, his car wouldn't start. Class is canceled."

All around them, fellow students broke into smiles and began to pack up their books. "Noo…" Serena wailed. "That's not fair! If we don't show up, we get an automatic five point deduction unless we have a doctor's excuse. He can't do this! Besides, I got here on _time_ today!" Ami smiled as Serana's friends tried without success to comfort her. "I made it! I got up on time, fussed at traffic, ran all the way from Holyoke… I even got my homework done! He can't do this to me!" she pouted.

"C'mon, Serena, I'll buy you some breakfast," her friend Mina said at last. "That'll make you feel a little better…" Finally, the four girls were able to convince their friend to leave the room.

Ami smiled as she continued to knit. Her needles sped up as she tried to make the most of the unexpected free time. The smile vanished as a thought ran across her mind. '_I wonder if they remember, too…_'


	10. Chapter 10 Merry Christmas, Princess

_As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai._

_The final chapter! (smile) You made it! Greetings to Starsketch007 who was kind enough to review the Secrets section. I'm glad you liked it. And I hope that you, Taeniaea, Thorn on a Rose, and aserene enjoy this one. It is dedicated to all of you who reviewed. And to all who did not submit a review... No problem. I hope you enjoy, too! (smile) - Raya_

**Lonely Harp**

_Merry Christmas, Princess_

Usagi stared in disbelief at the note in her hand, and then grinned and began to dance around the hall in excitement. "Mama! Mama!" she called as she ran into the dining room. "Mama!"

"Usagi!" Ikuko mimicked as she turned away from the stove, holding a spoon in the air. She smiled at her daughter. "Welcome home! Did you get your mail?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye. As her daughter grinned and nodded, she sidled around the counter. "A-a-and? Was it a love letter from your boyfriend?" she asked with a teasing, sly look.

Blushing, Usagi shook her head. "No… It's from Minako-chan!" Her blush faded as her face lit up again. "She's going to be in town next week, and she wants to know if I can come to a party over at Crown."

"Minako-chan?" Ikuko asked, beginning to look as excited as Usagi. "Really? I still cannot believe you are friends with such a famous idol," she said in an aside to herself. She turned back to her daughter, and noted that the excitement had gone out of her face. For a moment, Usagi looked heartbreakingly sad, and then she smiled again, covering it up. "So, when is the party?" she asked, knowing better than to push Usagi about whatever was bothering her.

Usagi smiled as she looked down at the invitation. "Next Saturday," she replied. "Oh, what will I wear?"

"Why not wear that pink dress?" her mother said as she put the spoon against her chin in thought. "No, the white outfit. Maybe the green sweater with the patches?" A hissing sound from the stove made her jump and turn. "Ah! Supper! Supper!" she cried as she rushed back to the stove. "It will be ready in a few minutes. Why don't you go change?" she said over her shoulder. Usagi's smile brightened as she nodded, and then turned to leave the room.

* * *

Ami sat in her seat on the airplane and gently caressed the blue scarf in her lap. '_Will they remember?_' she thought for the hundredth time. She lifted a magazine out of the back of the seat in front of her and blinked as she saw the sexy picture of Minako on the cover. Curiously, she flipped to the article, which was announcing the release of Minako's newest single, 'Come Out', after the New Year's holiday.

As she read the article and studied the pictures, a certainty formed in her mind. Minako had remembered. It was there in her eyes, in the way she glowed in every picture. She was obviously in touch with her most basic trait. Ami smiled, a little relieved.

* * *

Motoki smiled as he polished Kamekichi's glass home. "It's almost Christmas, Kamekichi-kun," he said lovingly to his pet as he put down the cloth and began to play with the little Christmas tree that was beside the tank. "Have you made out your wish list for Santa-san?" he asked. "Hmm?"

He looked up when he heard the door swoosh, and then smiled brightly at Usagi as she came in. She was huddled up, rubbing her hands over her ears. Her cheeks and nose were very red from the blistery cold wind that had started blowing as the sun went down. "Hey, Usagi-chan!" he called cheerfully as she smiled at him.

"Hi, Motoki-san," she replied as she shifted the big bag which held stuffed cat she always carried into the crook of her arm and reached into her pocket to pull out her pass. He just waved his hand at her, indicating that it was all right.

"I hear you have a party tonight," he said as he leaned into the counter. Usagi smiled happily as she nodded. His brown eyes twinkled as he continued. "Oh, the food and drinks I was asked to supply… Is Mamoru-kun coming, too?"

Usagi shook her head. "No, it's just a girls' night out," she said with a teasing wink.

He laughed as he stood up and turned back to his polishing job. "Room five," he told her as she began to dig through her bag.

"Here!" she said brightly as she held out two medium sized boxes. At his look of surprise, she continued with a smile. "Merry Christmas! This green one is for you, and the red one is for Kamekichi-kun."

With wide eyes, he took the boxes from her and gave her a little disbelieving look. His eyes asked if it was okay to open them, and she nodded with a sound of agreement. Quickly, he tore into the green box.

"Ah!" he cried in delight. Slowly, reverently, he lifted a Michelangelo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle statue out of its box. He gave Usagi a look of disbelief, which just made her smile wider. She blinked in surprise, however, when his face suddenly became very controlled and he put the statue back in its box.

"I cannot take this," he told her seriously as he tried to give it back to her. Usagi backed away waving her hands in the air. "It's too expensive."

"No, really, it wasn't that much!" she exclaimed. She stopped waving her hands and gave him a begging look with her eyes. "Please? You like it, don't you?"

"Of course!" he said as his expression melted again. His eyes went back to the box, and then back to Usagi again. "You're sure it wasn't too expensive?" he asked as he slowly put the box back on the counter.

"Really! Please, I want you to have it!" she said, her voice suddenly soft and a little uncertain. She relaxed as he began to slowly smile, and then grin. She smiled brightly again when he nodded his acceptance.

"Thank you very much," he said remembering his manners.

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile. With a little wave, she turned and made her way to room number five.

After she was gone, he opened the red box and looked at the bag of special turtle food. With another grin, he drew it out and showed it to Kamekichi. "See, Kamekichi-kun? She brought you a special Christmas dinner. And there might even be enough in here for New Year's, too!"

Usagi was still smiling as she pushed her way into the karaoke room. Her eyes widened and she gave a squeal of delight when she saw who was already there. "Ami-chan!" she cried as she raced across the room and threw her arms around her friend.

"Usagi-chan!" Ami replied with a wide smile, as she gently hugged her friend back. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the contact, and then opened them as she slowly drew back.

"Welcome home!" Usagi said with a bright smile.

Ami gave her an uncertain look, and then relaxed and laughed. "I'm back," she replied with the traditional response. She opened her mouth to say something else when the door opened up again. The two girls watched as Rei entered the room, followed by Makoto. Their faces brightened as they spotted Ami.

Laughing and talking, the girls settled into the room and began their party. Usagi quickly took over the song selection book and began to look for her favorite selections. Makoto, Ami, and Rei all gave each other and Usagi hidden curious looks, each trying to determine what the others might remember.

Somehow, Minako and Artemis slipped in without their being aware of it. She smiled softly in amusement as Usagi snatched up the microphone and began to sing. Her eyes grew wide, and the smile faltered as she realized that the song was "C'est la vie…". Belatedly, she remembered that it was Usagi's favorite song.

About half way through her enthusiastic rendition of the song, Usagi finally spotted Minako. Her squeal of joy created a very loud squawk of feedback in the system which in turn made her friends throw their hands over their ears. "Minako-chan!" she cried as she jumped up and down excitedly.

Minako's smile grew into a grin as she tilted her head. "Yo! Glad you all could come."

For the next hour, the girls laughed, ate, sang, and had a grand time. Luna and Artemis snuck themselves onto the far end of the table and watched a little enviously as the girls enjoyed themselves. Silently, they sighed that they were stuck and unable to move.

"Oh!" Usagi cried as she put her drink down and bent to pick up her bag. "Presents! I brought everyone presents!"

Ami smiled as she got up and went across the room. Deep in her stomach, she felt the butterflies begin again. "So did I," she said. Makoto looked smooth and nonchalant as she walked across the room and picked up a tall bag that she had hidden behind the monitor earlier that day. Rei and Minako just leaned back in their seats and watched everyone else.

They looked at each other a little uncertainly for a moment, and then suddenly laughed. Quickly, presents flew around the room.

Makoto gave Usagi the rabbit with the pink ribbon. Its front paws were wrapped around a slender bud vase with four sunflowers and a tall rose in it. The rose started off milky white at the bottom, flushed pink up through the center of each petal until it reached the edge where it turned abruptly to a soft, golden yellow along every edge. Usagi's eyes widened as she noted the ribbon and the flowers. She looked uncertainly at Makoto, who just smiled innocently at her. To the other girls, Makoto gave little glass figurines. Ami received an ice blue rose, Rei received a blood red firebird, and Minako received a golden unicorn.

Ami studied the flowers, and then looked at Makoto as Rei began to give out her presents. Each of them received a bracelet with her name spelled out in blocks. Little charms hung beside each name: crescent moons for Usagi, little waterfalls for Ami, a tiny bolt of lightening and a rose for Makoto, and small heart silhouettes for Minako. Usagi's eyes widened as she remembered returning the same kind of bracelet to Rei the first day that they had met. Her eyes flew to Rei, who returned her look expressionlessly a moment and then turned to show Ami the little protection charms she had also woven into the bracelets. As she lifted her hand, Usagi could see that her bracelet had gained a two tiny dragons spouting flames.

Ami smiled, and then looked a little nervously around the room. Before she could give out her presents, however, Usagi stood up and began to distribute hers. She gave Ami a pre-order certificate for Minako's next single, which made Minako smile oddly, and a gift certificate to a local bookstore. To Rei, she gave a deluxe calligraphy set and a book of famous hokku. Makoto received a bottle of perfume, which made her give Usagi a strange look, and a small tin of cookies from a famous baker. She gave Minako an amber necklace, a popular CD, and a tin of peppermints. Minako laughed as she turned to the back cover, and remarked that she loved the band as she studied their picture.

Finally, Ami gave out the hat, scarf, and mitten sets she had knitted. Everyone stared wide-eyed at their gift, and slowly raised their eyes to look at her. "I… I like to knit," she said quickly as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "And it's so cold in Boston that it seemed like a good idea…" They all looked down at their gift again, each silently remembering the mittens that Ami had knit for them so long ago. Only, in this time, she hadn't.

Usagi pasted a smile on her face, covering up the pain that that thought brought, and looked up to Ami. "Thanks!" she said enthusiastically. "It'll come in handy tonight. It's so cold out there!" Ami absently noted the others nod their agreement as she studied Usagi's sorrowful eyes.

Minako gave the gifts on the table a look, and then raised her eyes and slowly studied each of her friends. Abruptly, she nodded and stood. She quirked a smile at them as they looked at her in surprise, and picked up the karaoke microphone.

"This was originally just a present for Usagi," she said as she pulled a CD out of her pocket and inserted it in the machine. "But, I think it might be for all of you," she said mysteriously.

Their eyes widened as the sound of a harp began to fill the room. "_I know a girl,_" Minako sang, looking anywhere but at Usagi. "_So sad and alone. / She hides from her friends and herself. / Afraid of pain. / Afraid of joy. / Afraid of life…_" Suddenly the music became brighter, poppy, and more inviting. In the background, little children could be heard singing playfully along. "_Come out! Oh, come out and play/ The sun is shining. The wind is blowing. The world is bright and new… / Oh Come on! Hurry up/ Your friends are waiting / Come see the day… / Oh my friend… / Come on out today…_" The harp returned once more as she finally turned her attention to Usagi and saw the shocked look on her face. "_I know four girls so sad and alone / Each one needs their friend, but she hides / Hides from the pain / Hides from the joy / Living in fear… Come out! Oh, come out and play/ The sun is shining. The wind is blowing. The world is bright and new… / Oh Come on! Hurry up/ Your friends are waiting / Come see the day… / Oh my friend… / Come on out today…_" The music bridged. "_You need not be alone anymore… / The curse is broken… / We are longing for you… / Oh Come on! Hurry up/ Your friends are waiting / Come see the day / Oh princess… / Come on out today… / Oh my dearest friend… / Return to us this day… / Come out and play…_"

Minako slowly lowered the microphone as the song slowly came to an end behind her, the voices of little children laughing excitedly over the blend of harp and keyboard. She watched nervously as the tears in Usagi's eyes finally spilled over and traced a delicate line down her cheek.

Suddenly, Ami stood up and walked over to stand beside Minako. Her eyes watched Usagi, patiently waiting. Rei and Makoto blinked, and then stood up and joined them. Usagi just blinked up at them, hardly daring to believe even though the signs were so blatantly obvious.

"Princess," Minako said softly. Usagi's brown eyes flew to meet hers. "We remember. The seal you placed has broken." She shifted a little nervously, and then spoke again. "Venus once told me… I remember just a little… That you were alone. That to enable you to control your power, you were forced to be alone. But, that was our old life. In this life, you are not alone. The Crystal is gone. There is no reason to be afraid anymore…" Suddenly, her voice became pleading. "Please, Serenity. Please come back to us…"

A soft light began to glow on Usagi's forehead. Quickly it became brighter, resolving itself into a crescent moon. Rings of golden silver light began to emanate from her, spreading to fill the room. "'Dite?" she asked, choking a little on the strange name that came from somewhere deep within. Tears flowed down her face at the pain and fear that filled her.

Minako blinked at the strange name, and then smiled, held a hand out to her, and spoke instinctively. It would be a long time before she knew what memory prompted her words. "Here, 'Nity. I'm here. We're all here. It's over." Suddenly, she looked uncertain and a little afraid. "Can you forgive me? Can we be friends again?" She barely flinched as Ami put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Her entire being was focused, waiting for Serenity's answer.

Serenity shut her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath and then another. Deep inside, Usagi looked at Princess SailorMoon with sad, sympathetic eyes. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around her old self. The Princess jerked and stared wide-eyed out into the mist. And then, her head collapsed onto Usagi's shoulder, and they were surrounded by a bright light.

The four friends threw up arms and hands to protect themselves from the sudden blinding light. They blinked as it faded, lowered their arms, and looked anxiously towards their friend. She smiled tentatively at them, her eyes still uncertain and afraid. Something in the way she held herself told them that she had become one once more.

Minako smiled reassuringly, and took a step forward. "Welcome back," she said softly. Usagi nodded slowly.

Suddenly, Ami threw herself forward and gave Usagi a big hug. "Usagi-chan!" she cried. Slowly, Usagi reached up and hugged her back, hanging on as if for dear life. Rei, Makoto, and Minako joined them and turned it into a group hug.

Artemis smiled to Luna, who smiled back. Suddenly, she leapt off of the counter, transformed, and joined in the hug.

After several minutes, they calmed down again and sat down to talk. "Are… Are you really all right with this?" Usagi asked them. "We cannot transform any more. The Crystal is gone…"

"It's okay," Makoto said as the others nodded.

"We are still senshi," Ami said. "It will just be a while until we can transform on our own." As the others looked at her, she blinked and looked down shyly.

"What do you mean, Ami-chan?" Makoto asked suspiciously.

"I mean… We just do not have the power to transform on our own, yet," she replied slowly. "We are still senshi. At least… I am…" She looked uncertainly around at her friends, who waited patiently. "I still have my intelligence. And, since I have remembered, I have noticed that I am getting physically stronger again." Her friends looked at her in surprise, and Rei, Makoto, and Minako nodded.

"I've been thinking, remembering how it was before," she continued. "I think the Crystal enhanced our strength somehow. Advanced us enough until we could transform. Since it is gone, we no longer have that strength, but it will come to us naturally over time."

"In other words, if we continue to focus and strengthen our abilities, one day if we need to we will be able to transform again by ourselves." Rei said looking thoughtful. Ami nodded.

"Then we will have to become strong again," Makoto said in a determined voice. She gave Usagi a gentle smile. "We have a princess to protect."

Usagi suddenly shook her head, protesting, but her friends all smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Usagi," Minako said gently. "We will still be your friends. You won't be isolated again." Her smile grew a little wider. "And friends protect friends, right?"

Usagi looked at each of them, judging their sincerity, and then deflated with a sigh. "Yes," she smiled with a smile that finally reached her eyes and stayed. "Friends protect friends. And I will work hard so I can protect you, too," she vowed. They all nodded, little imagining the time just a few short years away when they would have to fulfill that vow.


End file.
